Is this the coolest hotel in Paris? Inside the new Hoxton

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The ultra-edgy Hoxton brand has at last opened its hot new Paris property: the fourth offering from what is fast becoming one of the world’s most exciting hotel groups.

It is the largest Hoxton hotel yet, with 172 guestrooms complemented by an urban-infused brasserie, an exotic cocktail bar and an enviable location on the Rue du Sentier in the 2nd arrondissement: a former industrial area that has found new life as the centre of Paris’s tech industry. It’s not hard to see the parallels with Hoxton’s flagship Shoreditch hotel.

But while the Paris hotel embraces the same trappings of modern lifestyle hospitality as its sister hotels in London (the group also has a property in Holborn), here it has a little more history to play with.

Much like the The Hoxton, Amsterdam, which opened in 2015 in an ornate 17th-century, canal-side townhouse that was formerly the mayor’s residence, The Hoxton, Paris will stamp its distinctive brand of contemporary chic onto an historic setting.

The building it occupies is an 18th-century hôtel particulier, arranged around two picturesque courtyards: a grand city mansion built by architect Nicolas d’Orbay for Etienne Rivié, who was an advisor to Louis XV. The façade in particular is a noteworthy example of rococo architecture, enough so that it has been designated a monument historique by the French state.

The interiors, too, have a palpable historic atmosphere, engendered chiefly by the grand staircases, including two 300-year-old spiral staircases in both the lobby and bar, exposed timber beams in the fourth-floor bedrooms that date back to the 18th century, and a striking mosaic in the bar.

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Yet this paean to the Paris of the past is nevertheless tinged with a sympathetic modern style, thanks to the collaborative design efforts of Soho House (the public areas) and Humbert & Poyet (the bedrooms), all overseen by the creative studio of Ennismore, Hoxton’s parent company.

In the guest rooms, the designers have payed homage to the building’s 18th-century roots through their use of wood panelling, oak-timber floors and cornicing, while referencing Paris of the 1950s through Lampe Gras lamps, woven metal partitions and Formica materials. To further the local flavour, many of the fittings and furnishings come from France’s most-loved designers, including Jean Prouvé and Mathieu Matégo.

The Rivié resembles a classic French brasserie, albeit with a modern twist.

The hotel offers guests a choice of four room categories: Shoebox, Cosy, Roomy and Biggy. These are spread over five floors, with those on the ground floor offering high ceilings and roll-top bathtubs, while those on the fourth come with views of the Eiffel Tower.

The Rivié restaurant, meanwhile, has been designed in classic French brasserie style with a modern twist: banquette seating and marble-topped bars fused with shabby-chic wallpaper and feature lighting. Likewise, the menu presents a new take on French cuisine, featuring such items as Hox Monsieur (a variety of cheese and ham toastie), entrecôte et frites and mushroom tartine with slow poached duck egg.

Apéritifs and digestifs alike can be taken in Jacque’s Bar, a cosy space inspired by the Majorelle Garden in Marrakech, with a reclaimed timber parquet de Versailles floor, decorative floral wallpaper, tasselled lamps, fluted sofas and palms. It serves a bespoke cocktail menu, along with an extensive collection of fine wines and craft beers from local Parisian breweries.

In all, it's an exciting proposition from a hotel group that can only be expected to grow. Indeed, it will do just that with the opening of The Hoxton, Williamsburg later this year: an enticing prospect in one of Brooklyn's most talked-about neighbourhoods.